uld have looked at them fondly, but now he gave them
hardly a thought. He was waiting for his chum, Lew Heinsling, and his mind
was busy with the problem of his own future. Charley was a senior in high
school and was pondering over the question of what the world had in store
for him. While he sat meditating, Lew arrived. In his hand was a copy of
the <i>New York Sun and Herald</i>. He held it out to Charley and pointed to
the marine news.

"The <i>Lycoming</i> reaches New York to-day," he said. "Roy will send us a
wireless message to-night. Gee! I wish we had a battery strong enough to
talk back."

But Charley paid slight heed to the suggestion. Instead he said: "Roy
Mercer's a lucky dog. Think of being the wireless man on a big ocean
steamer when you're only nineteen. I wish I knew what I am going to do
after I graduate from high school."

Roy Mercer, like Charley and Lew, was a member of the Camp Brady Wireless
Patrol. With his fellows he had taken part in the capture of the German
spies who were trying to dynamite the Elk City reservoir and so wreck a
great munitions centre during the war; and with three other members of the
Wireless Patrol, especially selected for their skill in wireless, he had
later gone to New York with their leader, Captain Hardy, to assist the
government Secret Service in its search for the secret wireless that was
keeping the German Admiralty informed of the movements of American
vessels.

His fellows both envied and loved him. Roy warmly returned their
affection, and his vessel never came into port that he did not, regularly
at nine o'clock in the evening, flash out some message of greeting to his
former comrades of the Wireless Patrol. It was always a one-sided
conversation, however, because none of the boys in the Wireless Patrol
owned a battery powerful enough to carry a message from Central City to
New York. Just now each lad was engaged in trying to earn money so that
the club could buy a battery or dynamo strong enough for this purpose. So
each boy was working at any job he could pick up after school, and saving
all he earned. Both Charley and Lew had already earned more than their
share of the purchase money.

"You never can tell what will happen," said Lew presently. "Who ever
expected Roy to get the job he has? You may land in another just as good.
You stand pretty near the head of your class, and everybody knows you're a
corking good wireless operator."

"I can tell well enou